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Fort Jacques is tucked up and away in the beautiful mountains of Kenscoff near Pétionville and Port-au-Prince. The drive to the historical area is super easy compared to some other rugged locations we've visited. From the top, you can see the bay of Port-au-Prince...what a beautiful view! There are two forts named after Alexandre in honor of General Alexandre Pétion and Jacques in honor of Jean-Jacques Dessalines. We only visited Fort Jacques, which is restored and kept maintained, however Fort Alexandre (east of Fort Jacques) is not. Every May 18 (Haitian flag day), there's a celebration with music and fun. It's definitely worth the view! Oh, and DO NOT MISS the outdoor griot spot in Kenscoff...it's the best! 
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 The Importance of an Education in Haiti I have yet to meet a Haitian that doesn't think school is important. School is a top priority among Haitian parents and families. No matter how poor or wealthy, everyone values education in Haiti. Despite what you may read or hear in the news, the majority of Haitian children go to school. Parents will do everything that they can to make sure their child gets an education no matter what. Their determination is one of those things that fascinates me most about the Haitian culture. Just like we do in the United States, parents and students in Haiti prepare to go back to school in the same ways as us. Because I've never attended school in Haiti, I can't express my experiences on that. So, I asked a friend of mine, Fedno Lubin, who is a student in Jacmel, Haiti. Fedno is also a photographer who I hire occasionally to capture The Real Haiti. *All photos on this post are by Fedno Lubin*
About Schools in Haiti Haitian students primarily go to private schools, which means there's tuition fees or there are tuition waiver programs available to some. Here's a breakdown of how the education system in Haiti works: (research info below provided by classbase.com)
Common grading scales: 80.00 - 100.00 or 8.00 - 10.00 Très Bien (Very Good) US - A 70.00 - 79.99 or 7.00 - 7.99 Bien (Good) US - B 60.00 - 69.99 or 6.00 - 6.99 Assez bien (Satisfactory) US - C 50.00 - 59.99 or 5.00 - 5.99 Passable (Sufficient) US - D 0.00 - 49.99 or 1.00 - 4.99 Mal (Fail) US - F
According to the Ministry of Education in Haiti, the official school calendar has September 4 as the start day for back to school. 
What are your favorite memories of 'back to school' in Haiti or somewhere else! Share it with us below in the comments. 
Since we have little ones now, I've done something I never thought I'd do - I converted our dining room (which we actually used) to a playroom! Crazy, I know. I am an interior design wannabe with a wannabe minor in decorating.
Our home is full of Haitian art in all different forms like paintings, sculptures, statues, papier mache, woven materials and mosaics. Since I had so much of the Haitian decor already, I figured why not create a Haiti inspired playroom! First thing first, I had my husband raise the gigantic chandelier so adults would stop bumping their heads on it. Some of the Haitian paintings were already hung so that made the wall decor easy. Check out our unique Haitian paintings for sale here.
​These paintings were done by my husband's cousin in Haiti. The one in the green frame was painted on a burlap sak and glued to a hard cardboard material. The frame is actually one that I found in the garbage! It was originally gold and had an ugly horse painting in it. Thankfully the Haitian painting was the exact same size! (fun fact - I love repurposing things and thrifting...it's one of my favorite things to do!) ​
Playroom Inspiration
If you're tired of stepping on legos and tripping over trucks, try dedicating a corner (or a room if you have the space) for the toys to make a playroom or play area. It's nice to have the toys in one area so that we could have our living room back. I have a playroom board on Pinterest where I got my inspiration! Check it out here.
Other Fun Haiti Inspired Things in Our Playroom
​Add this short story book to your collection! It was written and designed by me :) Mermaid Violette is madly in love. Her friends -- a crab, fish, dolphin, jellyfish and shrimp, all wonder who Violette loves so much and can't live without. Read the book to find out who the lucky one is! The story is written in English. Bonus pages of sea creatures in English and Haitian Creole! 
Add these customizable wall art prints to your little one's room or playroom! Designed by me :)
I plan to do more blogs about Haiti inspired rooms and home decor so stay tuned! ​Thanks for stopping by!
 When I met my husband Endy (then-boyfriend), he would tell me all about Haiti. He would tell me stories about growing up with his siblings, his best friends. He would tell me about the journeys they had to get to school, the funny stories of dressing up in their parents clothes and the soccer games they played on the roof of their house. He would tell me how beautiful "The Real Haiti" was. I mostly just listened, and quietly doubted that a place I always heard was a "third world country," could be beautiful. What? You're going to Haiti on vacation!? It took years of convincing to plan a trip to Haiti...7 years actually! Endy planned everything for our 10 day adventure. Although I was excited, my worried mind kept playing questions over in my head like, "what if we can't find water to drink?" and "what if we get TB or yellow fever?" As I type these ridiculous things (that I never actually said out loud), I can't even believe I thought such judgmental things about a place I'd end up falling in love with! As an innocent Italian-American, red-headed, 28-year-old, I really had no clue what Haiti was really like. I had no clue that visiting Haiti would change my life. As our vacation plans neared, I secretly wanted to back out or hoped for some reason we weren't going to end up going (sad, but true). The time came and we flew from Florida to Port-Au-Prince, Haiti. My life was forever changed and my eyes and heart were opened like they had never been before. For more of an in depth look about what I saw and experienced, read my blog about things I noticed while in Haiti. Before my first trip, my husband encouraged me to start a blog about Haiti to share what we saw. I wasn't fully on board with the idea, but I did. When I was there and then returned home is when I started blogging about all-things-Haitian and really fell in love with the idea of blogging. I embraced the culture and through my experiences, I had to share all of the amazing things that were so new to me. Some of the best memories i have in haiti Fast forward EIGHT years later Since I started The Real Haiti, Endy and I got married and have two little boys now! Although we don't get to travel to Haiti as much anymore (adulting too much), promoting the Haitian culture, food, people and life in Haiti is still my passion! I couldn't find one place online with resources for teaching kids about Haiti and Haitian Creole so I created my own for my boys and am sharing it with you! I have added a kids section (there's also a tab above) to The Real Haiti where you can find a variety of resources to teach your kids or students about Haiti -
While all of this started as a fear of Haiti, then a love for Haiti, it's now my business and a huge part of my life. I am so grateful for all of you for following my page for all of these years. Lastly, thank you always for your encouragement! Happy anniversary of The Real Haiti blog and business. Mesi anpil!!! If you're new to The Real Haiti, sign up below to subscribe to the blog!  Have you searched Amazon for books about Haiti or resources in Haitian Creole? There are some, but nothing compares to the collection that our friends over at EDUCAVision Inc. have! There are tons of amazing books and resources for everyone of all ages, interests, and styles of learning. EDUCAVision is offering 10% off anything on their website with code real-haiti. Check out the variety of multicultural books and resources in English and Haitian Creole here! HAPPY HAITIAN FLAG DAY! 
Can you imagine seeing the video promo below on Haiti on TV today? It was 1983 and this video was produced for American Express to promote travel to Haiti! I see more things that have remained the same in Haiti than have changed.
Similarities and differences between Haiti in 1983 and today ​ What hasn't changed in Haiti since 1983:
What hasn't changed in Haiti since 1983:
​After reading through all of these similarities and differences, you must be even more curious about travelling to Haiti! I promise it will be a trip of a lifetime. Go explore and see The Real Haiti! If you've been to Haiti, drop a comment below on what you noticed that was the same as 1983! Happy Thanksgiving, friends! We are offering a 20% discount on any purchase made at our Etsy shop! Don't worry, if you're not an Etsy member (and/or don't want to become one), you can check out as a guest without joining. Browse our jewelry, Haitian paintings, home decor and more! Enter code THANKS when checking out to apply the 20% off coupon. Most of our items ship for FREE! Sale ends midnight 11/24/17. Thank you for your support always!   I hope you find these freebies useful to teach your children, friends, family or students about Haiti and the Haitian culture! Use it at home, at a family gathering, for a school presentation, or in your classroom to help teach diversity and culture awareness! Get a FREE 4-page worksheet/poster bundle of Haitian Cultural highlights with Haitian Creole and English! Where in the world is Haiti?
Numbers in Haitian Creole
Colors in Haitian Creole
Popular Authentic Haitian Food
You may use these online, but please link back to TheRealHaiti.com please!
If there are other topics you'd like us to cover, just let us know! ENJOY! Mesi anpil! Want more worksheets? Check out our best selling workbook! Only $17.50 The next Partners Worldwide Train-the-Trainer is Scheduled!
This week-long session consists of walking dedicated individuals through a business curriculum created by Partners Worldwide, covering topics such as: Christian worldview, accounting, marketing, value-chain analysis and other principles essential for successful entrepreneurs. The materials and training are in Haitian Creole. Why: Have an in-house trainer for your organization (ask for details on how to become a certified trainer; there is an extra cost. Train outside your organization) Who is eligible for training:
December 4-8 2017 REGISTER HERE! Time: 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM Place: Office of Parole et Action, Delmas 75 Costs: Option 1 – $650 Training, materials, meals and accommodation at Trinity Lodgefor five days and nights Option 2 – $350 Training, materials, 5 lunches Contact Cassandre Honoréat 509 3610 6163 or cassandreh@partnersworldwide.orgfor more information. Click here to register online. Registration ends November 24th, 2017.  Although I was not born Haitian, my name by marriage {Diana Pierre-Louis} often makes people assume I am Haitian, until they meet me in person or see my picture. I have been asked by people before, "are you sure you are Diana Pierre-Louis?" for example at a doctors office when being called into a room. I have also been asked many times, "are you French?" Or when I hand my business card to people which has my name and a picture of me with the shirt that says "what do you mean I don't look Haitian?," I get very strange and confused looks. Recently, I handed my business card to a man, who at first, seemed confused. Then he started talking about how he knows there are light-skinned people in Haiti. He happens to be Puerto Rican and shared with me that the same sort of stigma is attached to his culture where people assume you should look a certain way. So, have you ever gotten the statement, but "you don't look Haitian!" after having a nice conversation with someone. It's kind of a conversation stopper or even a turn-off, in my opinion. I really don't blame anyone. It's not their fault if they are uneducated about Haiti's history, culture and diversity. In fact, on TV we unfortunately usually only see certain groups of people and certain areas of Haiti, which are often populated by "darker-skinned" Haitians. It's the unfortunate truth. If you are in Haiti, you will see people of all shades, depending on where you go. Naturally as Haitians have immigrated to the United States, there are many people from all areas of Haiti. Hence, there are so many beautiful people!  If someone says to you, "you don't look Haitian," here are some responses I came up with to answer back:
Again, it's really not their fault for thinking a certain way. The media teaches us only about things in Haiti that scream drama, disaster, corruption or poverty. As our son grows up, I am finding different ways to be creative in teaching him. These crayons are one way we can draw ourselves in different shades. I also have created activity worksheets to do with him that expose him to Creole and the Haitian culture. I plan on making lots more, so stay tuned! If you'd like to purchase a shirt below (What Do You Mean I Don't Look Haitian tshirt), click the button below! How do you respond when people say "but you don't look Haitian!"
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